Boosting SA's Wine Industry

The Winetech Pitching Den attracted over 1000 entries this year. Dr Albert Strever and Gerard Martin spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the winning pitches.

- Glenneis Kriel

With more than 60% of wineries struggling to keep head above water, Winetech launched the Winetech Pitching Den in 2018 to identify solutions that could help improve the overall resilience and profitability of the industry.

“We’re looking for innovations that can reduce climatic risks, improve water use and production efficiencies, and technological developments that integrate the physical and digital world to push the South African wine industry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Gerard Martin, managing executive of Winetech.

The competition attracted entrepreneurs from South Africa and other African countries, as well as Ireland, Austria, France, and the Netherlands.

Of the more than 100 entrants, 20 made it to the finals and 15 pitched their ideas to a panel of judges at the SA Innovation Summit in September.

“The competition was tight, as most of the concepts are in line with what we’re looking for and exhibited world-class potential,” said Dr. Albert Strever, one of the judges and a senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University.

“The winners were, however, the highest-quality pitches and currently the most relevant to the industry’s needs and challenges.”